OUR VIEW: Get past platitudes on water supply

Monday

It’s September in an election year in Florida. Suddenly, and suddenly everybody cares about water.

GOP gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis and his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum both cite water and environment as top issues. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and his challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, both claim credit for Everglades restoration and cleanup efforts in the Indian River Lagoon.

But which candidates really have a track record to back their talk? And where are the details of their plans to secure Florida’s water supply and protect the lakes, rivers and coastline that form such an integral part of our quality of life?

These are the questions voters should be asking.

[READ: Water, waterways key campaign issues in 2018]

The urgency of these issues extends beyond the top of the ballot to legislative and even local races, and transcends partisanship. The state’s water supply is crucial to our future. The threat is immediate, as seen in the headline-grabbing algae blooms and the devastating red tide that’s killing sea life — including manatees and fish — along the Gulf coast. But it’s also long-term. Florida threats that don’t grab as much attention, but pose just as much danger to the state’s economic and environmental future.

One of the biggest hazards is the stress being placed on the Floridan aquifer, the vast network of underground caves that hold the state’s freshwater drinking supply. Sea level rise, pollution and overconsumption are all taking their toll, putting access to relatively inexpensive water in jeopardy. This, in turn, puts Florida’s future — which is heavily reliant on growth — at risk.

Over the past 20 years, there have been plenty of task forces and reports outlining the magnitude of the problem. What’s been missing is action commensurate with the threat. And while some of the needed changes are behavioral — for example, convincing Floridians they don’t need heavy applications of fertilizer to maintain green lawns — others will be expensive.

One of the major threats to the underground water supply: Failing septic systems that could number in the hundreds of thousands, leaching pollutants like nitrogen into the water supply.

The effects can be seen in the water that bubbles in Florida’s freshwater springs. Recently, plans to protect and restore major springs, including three in Volusia County, were put on hold after being criticized as woefully inadequate and riddled with errors. But even in their current state, these plans carry a collective price tag in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The springs are harbingers of the aquifer’s health. As they falter, officials across the state will face the prospect of municipal well fields succumbing to contamination and salt-water intrusion.

The other big challenge: Sea level rise. People can argue about the cause, but the impacts are already manifesting. South Florida is seeing significant flooding problems in areas that never flooded before, and Miami-Dade voters approved a $400 million tax increase last year to begin to deal with the impacts. Higher coastal areas like Volusia and Flagler counties have a little more time, but not much. New Smyrna Beach residents along the Halifax River have already seen waters rise to levels not seen in the past. A 2014 study estimates that the state might need more than $1 trillion in projects by 2100 to cope with rising seas.

It’s a daunting prospect — especially when combined with other major challenges facing Florida, including education, health care and public safety. But Florida voters can’t afford to let candidates dodge water issues with platitudes. They need to know what solutions the candidates support — and how they plan to pay for them. Examine candidates’ records, and see if they are prepared to match their talk with action.

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